The Bible: Where it Came From and Why it Matters
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Our Scripture Study groups recently began a new series on the "Origins and Teachings of the Bible." So far, we have been looking at the history of the Bible and why the Bible is important to us today. I thought I would take a moment to share the fascinating content we have been exploring with a broader audience.
The Bible is the #1 best seller of all time. In modern-day America, we all have easy access to the Scriptures. You can buy a Bible for next to nothing and find it in multiple versions. But that wasn’t always the case. The Bible has a long and fascinating history. The fact of the matter is that it didn’t just one day drop out of heaven. Rather, it was developed over centuries. In fact, the Bible is not just one book, but a library of books written by different human authors, in different historical/cultural settings, to various audiences. Why, then, are all these books bound together into one? In other words, what do they all have in common? Although the Bible is made up of 73 books, it all tells one story. All of the books are connected because they are all part of the same story—the story of God’s relationship with his people.
Historically, the books of the Bible were composed over the course of about 1,500 years (from approximately 1,400 B.C. to approximately A.D. 100) by about 40 authors. That considered, the common thread is that God is also the author of Scripture. In fact, the Catechism states it plain and simple: “God is the author of Sacred Scripture” (CCC 105). This is why we call the Bible “God’s word.” When we hear the Bible read in Mass, for example, we are not simply listening to the words of a human author, but we are hearing the very words of God spoken to us. In essence, the Bible is a love letter from God to us. He worked through human authors to communicate the message of his love to us. That’s why we still read the Bible today. It is not an ancient book that has become obsolete because it is so old, but it is a living book that applies to our lives today because God is still working in human history and he is still speaking to us. A primary way in which he speaks to us is through the Bible.
Yet, the Bible can be confusing and seem inapplicable to our modern situation. In order to understand the Bible and how it applies to us, we need to understand where it came from. We must recognize the different historical and cultural settings it was written in and learn about the human authors. There is not space to look at this in detail here, but it is worth mention that there are many resources available and the Church and our tradition are here to guide us. A fundamental question to ask when reading any part of Scripture is, “How does this part fit into the entire story?” We must understand the overarching story of Scripture in order to under its parts and how it applies to our lives today, since we are part of the story too.
The story basically has three parts: Creation, the Fall, and Redemption. Creation and the Fall take place right at the beginning in Genesis 1-3 and then the rest of the Bible is basically about Redemption. God created all things good but Adam and Eve freely chose to disobey him, resulting in the Fall, which brought sin and death into the world. As a result of the Fall, there is a broken relationship between God and humanity and, in many ways, things kept getting worse and worse. But God never gives up on his creation because of his great love. God works to right the wrong and restore the broken relationship. He works through figures in the Old Testament to build a people for himself and help them live according to the way he has created us. Then comes the definitive, climactic point in the story—when God Himself becomes man in Jesus Christ, lives a perfect life, and dies on the cross for our sins, proving his victory by rising again on the third day. Jesus establishes the church that continues to bring his saving grace to people to this day.
This is the story of the Bible. It is God’s story; it is also our story. Ultimately, the Bible is all about the relationship between God and humanity. It is, therefore, an invitation to us to be in relationship with God. In fact, the Bible is an important way through which we come to know God. Jesus Christ, who is the “Word of God,” invites us to have a personal relationship with Him through the “word of God.” St. Jerome, who lived around A.D. 400, put it pointedly when he said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Thus, if we want to get to know Jesus Christ, we should get to know the Scriptures.
You’re invited to explore the Scriptures and learn about them. One way is through the Worship Aid reflections on the Sunday Mass readings, which can be found here. Also, feel free to pick up resources like the “Word Among Us” devotional or the Lighthouse CDs and books in the vestibule to help you grow in faith. Finally, I invite you to learn more about the Bible and the Story of Salvation by viewing the Symbolon videos on those topics. You can find out how to access Symbolon by clicking here. Those topics are covered in episodes 3 & 4 of Part 1: Knowing the Faith. Let us grow together in our understanding of the Scriptures and, therefore, our understanding of Christ.